Ambition Facing West

By ANTHONY CLARVOE

“The title, AMBITION FACING WEST, refers to the dreams of opportunity that have sent people westward throughout [The 20th] century. Using the far-flung path of one family as his frame, Clarvoe opens in turn-of-the-century Dalmatia, but swiftly slips back and forth between 1940s Wyoming, 1980s Japan and 1910 Croatia. Throughout the journey, we see the eternal pull between parents and children—the desire to hold them close struggling with the drive to offer them something better.... ...AMBITION FACING WEST resonates with impressive depth, and his words continue to ripple long after that moat water becomes quiet again.” Terry Byrne, Boston Herald